Family Visit Visa

Family Migration is for those who may be lucky enough to qualify for Family Migration through close kinship ties with an Australian, an Australian permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen living in Australia. Or you may be married or engaged to one.
If you qualify, and if needed, that person may have to arrange for you to be supported for two years, so you will need to be on good terms with them.
There are many different family reunion visas. The most common categories relate to bringing a partner or prospective spouse to Australia, but it is also possible to bring children, parents, carers and remaining relatives (where most of the family has already migrated).

About this Visa

This visa allows people to travel to Australia to take a holiday or visit their family.
The applicant must have an eligible relative in Australia or an Australian Government official willing to sponsor them.
The sponsor provides a guarantee that their visitor will leave Australia before the visa expires. Support from the sponsor is taken into account by the visa decision-maker Who is this visa for?
This visa is for you if you want to visit your family in Australia or to holiday in Australia for reasons other than business or medical treatment.
You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa. How much will this visa cost?
A non-refundable visa application charge must be paid when your visa application is lodged. Your sponsor will make the payment on your behalf when they lodge the application in Australia. In some cases a financial security bond may also be requested. See:Tourist Visa Charges What does this visa let me do?
You can visit Australia once, usually to stay for a period of up to three months or six months, but in certain circumstances a stay of 12 months may be granted. While in Australia you can:

visit family and friends

engage in tourist activities

study for up to three months.

How this Visa Works

To apply for this visa, you must have an eligible sponsor and each family member must complete an application form. The application is lodged in Australia by the sponsor and the correspondence by the department is usually with the sponsor. Important: A sponsor is only able to sponsor one person or, if a relative, one family unit at a time. A family unit normally includes the head of the family, partner and dependent children. Other relatives may be included in the family unit if they can provide evidence that they are fully dependant on the head of the family. See:Definitions of a Family Unit To be a sponsor for this visa, you must be:

an Australian citizen or permanent resident

aged 18 years or over

settled in Australia for a reasonable period, usually two years.

You must also be one of the following:

a relative (partner, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or the ‘step’ or adopted equivalent of any of these)

a member of an Australian parliament (Commonwealth, State or Territory)

an authorised person representing a Commonwealth, State or Territory department or instrumentality

a local government mayor.

Visa validity period
This visa allows you to travel to Australia, usually to stay for a period of up to three months. In certain circumstances the visa may be granted for a stay of up to 12 months.
You are only allowed one entry to Australia for the validity of the visa and you will not be able to extend your stay. It is important to ask for a visa period to cover all your activities. Example: If you wish to visit Australia to attend a wedding, make sure you ask for a period of stay that will also cover any other family events around that time.
If you wish to visit Australia more than once you can apply for another Sponsored Family Visitor visa once you leave Australia. You could also apply for a Tourist visitor visa instead of a Sponsored Family Visitor visa.Sponsorship validity period
If you are granted a visa, the sponsorship remains in place until you leave Australia. If you choose not to travel to Australia then the sponsorship remains in place until the visa expires. A sponsor cannot have their sponsorship cancelled while the visa is still valid.Security bond
The visa processing officer decides, on a case by case basis, whether to request a security bond. This bond is an added assurance that the visa holder will depart Australia and is normally requested where there are some concerns that an applicant may not comply with their visa conditions.
The amount of the security bond is determined on a case by case basis and usually ranges from AUD5000 to AUD15 000 per person. However, any amount may be requested.
If a security bond is required, a letter outlining the process for lodging the bond will be sent to the sponsor. It must be paid in full in Australia before a final decision can be made on the application.
Refunds are arranged once the visitor has left Australia having complied with all visa conditions. Information on refunds is provided at the time the bond is requested.
See: Security Bond InformationStudy
With this visa you can undertake study or training in Australia for up to three months.
Note: Subclass 679 visa holders are no longer required to pass a chest x-ray examination even if they intend to study in a classroom environment for a period greater than four weeks.Work
With this visa you cannot work in Australia. If you want to work or conduct business you should consider applying for a work or business visa.
See: WorkersResponsibilities
The table below outlines the responsibilities in obtaining a Sponsored Family Visitor visa.

Person

Responsibilities

Sponsored

Lodges the sponsorship form in Australia.

Lodges a visa application form for each member of the family unit.

Pays the visa application charge.

Arranges a security bond for each member of the family unit, if required.

Usually acts as the contact person for further information required during the processing of the visa application.

Applicant

Completes and signs a valid application form (family unit members visiting Australia together each complete separate forms).

Sends application form and supporting documents to the sponsor in Australia.

Provides any further information requested during the processing of the visa application.

Arranges for the visa label to be placed in their passport at an overseas office, if visa is granted.

Obligations

If the visa is granted, the following requirements must be met. Sponsor obligations
The sponsor should be confident that the applicant intends to abide by their visa conditions. Sponsors must, to the best of their ability:

guarantee that their visitors will comply with all the conditions of their visa while in Australia, including departing Australia before their visas expire

take responsibility for all financial obligations to the Australian Government incurred by their visitor during their stay in Australia.

If a visitor does not comply with all the conditions of their visa, the sponsor in most cases will:

be unable to sponsor another visitor for this visa for five years

lose their security bond.

Applicant obligations
With this visa, a visitor can enter Australia once only. They can stay for the period specified on the visa label in their passport.
A sponsored family visitor is not able to:

work in Australia

undertake study or training in Australia for longer than three months

Note: Subclass 679 visa holders are no longer required to pass a chest x-ray examination even if they intend to study in a classroom environment for a pe

remain in Australia beyond the expiry date of their visa

extend their stay in Australia.

Note: This visa has a ‘No Further Stay’ condition. This means the visitor can not apply for any other visa while in Australia, except in exceptional circumstances.

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